Football Season Guide

Returning to the Ligue 1after 8 years spent in the second tier of French football, last season Ajaccio just were not competitive enough and ended up being immediately relegated. Wins were simply too hard to come by for the Corsicans, as they held by far the worst attack of the league with just 23 goals scored. Moreover, they leaked like a sieve, which is surprising considering how strong they were defensively in the previous campaign. Coach Olivier Pantaloni was wisely confirmed in charge despite the poor past campaign: this will be his 14th season at the helm of the team. It has been a busy summer for Ajaccio as, first of all, they had to trim a bloated squad: no less than 15 players were let go with only 5 joining the club so far. Among those who left, there were some painful departures: starting goalie Leroy certainly represents a great loss, he was the best Ligue 2 player on occasion of their promotion, but Michel, coming from a disastrous Chamois Niortais experience, should be a valid replacement. Starting left-back Diallo was released but Quemper should provide similar quality and quantity while, in the midfield, captain Coutadeur also had to quit as he is on the wrong side of his 30s. Hamouma, 2 goals and 3 assists overall, will certainly not be missed up-front while Ajaccio will hope for more goals from new signing Bammou. And they will also be hoping in a positive campaign from Jacob, whose past season at Dijon was forgettable although he can be outstanding at times, who is set to replace gone Belaili, Ajaccio most prolific player last season with 6 goals and 3 assists.